Her Bad Back
by ShyRomantic
Summary: Charlie decides to bring home a deer on her own when things get very painful very fast. in swoops Bass to sooth the wounds and make everything better again.


Charlie could not believe her unbelievable bad luck, she had been hauling this deer she caught to the house when for no reason what so ever her back gave out. So here she was lying on the ground in pain and frustration calling out to her Uncle Miles.

"Miles!" She knew she wasn't far from camp so her voice should be heard. "Miles! Fucking Christ come here!" She was shrill to the point of almost injuring her voice.

"Charlotte Matheson If you scream at me one more time I swear to god I will beat you into next Wednesday." Miles said stomping into the area with his grumpy Uncle voice. "Um…Charlie? What are you doing?"

Charlie tilted her head slightly and gave him a big grin. "Oh you know, enjoying the view, the sticks in my back and the moss that has now soaked my clothes."

Miles crossed his arms and looked down at her. "I'm guessing from your sarcasm that you've gone and hurt yourself."

Charlie sighed and laid her hands on the ground beside her. "I was trying to haul this buck back when I think I pulled something in my back, it hurts a lot and lying down is the only non-excruciating position I can be in."

Miles laughed a not so gentle laugh. "Jesus Charlie, I'm supposed to be the old man not you, why didn't you ask for help before?" He crouched down next to her. "Think you can hang tight for five more minutes? I'm going to go get Monroe, get this buck and you back home."

Charlie gave him the stink eye. "Well, not really like I can argue, can't really go anywhere without you." She sighed and rolled her eyes at him.

"Touche, hang on kid, I'll be right back." And with that Miles was gone, leaving a mildly distraught Charlie lying on the ground.

Not even ten minutes later Miles and Bass come into view, Miles still snickering to himself, Bass reached over and thumped Miles on the shoulder. "Be nice! Remember when you hurt your back moving shit into our first apartment? You moaned and bitched for days."

Miles rolled his eyes and raised his hands in defeat. "Alright alright, I'm sorry." He crouched down next to Charlie. "So here's the plan, I'm going to take the buck back to the house, Bass here is going to take you back, hes a hell of a lot better with the nurse stuff then I am, he'll have you fixed up and back to kicking asses in no time."

"What ever you say general I just want off the ground." Charlie gave him a weak smile.

Miles patted her on the head and wandered off to the deer to come up with the best way to get it back, meanwhile Bass walked up to Charlie. "Hey, so on a scale of 1-10 how bad is the pain?" He asked blinking his baby blues at her.

"I'd say somewhere between 6-7, I've had worse injuries but this by far is the most irritating."

"Not to bad, alright, are you able to sit up? Or even shift enough so I can pick you up?"

"I can sit up, but we gotta do it fast." Charlie lifted her elbows back and hoisted herself up much to her bodies protest, she raised her knees a little and Bass swooped in clamping his hands around her and lifting her off the ground like she weighed nothing. "You okay?" he asked once he had her settled in his arms.

"I'll live." She wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Thank you." She said quietly. "I'm sorry Miles dragged you into my stupidity."

Bass smiled down at her and shrugged lightly. "I don't let him drag me into anything." He winked at her.

She blushed lightly and lowered her face. "Well thanks anyways." She mumbled.

"Lets get you back, I might have a few tricks that will help with your back problem." Turning towards Miles he tightened his grip on Charlie. "Hey, I'm going to take Charlie back, you want me to come back or send someone to help you out?"

Miles shook his head as he looked down at the deer. "I'll be fine, take care of her and I'll get this load of food back."

"Alright, lets get out of here, see yah later." The duo made their way back to the house Charlie feeling guilty and useless the whole way. Bass thumped his way up the stairs, Charlie reached out and opened the door while Bass nudged it open with his foot. "you're room is upstairs right?" Charlie nodded as they both looked up the stairs "Hm… that's a lot of stairs."

Charlie looked over his shoulder. "You could just set me on the couch, its just over there."

"you'll rest better in your own bed. Trust me and when you need to sleep it'll be easier to do that in your bed then to try on the couch where people will be stomping by and being loud."

"If you're sure." Bass nodded and he took her up the steep stairs to her room, setting her on the bed he whipped off the blankets so she could lie flat. "You sit tight I'll be right back." He left her with a small smile and hurried off down the stairs.

Charlie lied on her bed watching Bass retreat from her room, she couldn't stop herself from watching his butt as he scurried away. She grinned to herself and looked at the ceiling as he banged around in the kitchen and bathroom.

Bass gathered water and put on a pot to boil meanwhile he rummaged around in Gene's bathroom closet looking for a hot water bottle and a hand towel. Finding what he needed he put them on the counter to wait and went upstairs with a coldish glass of water.

"Sorry 'bout that I'm not used to things actually having a place anymore." He explained setting the glass on the nightstand next to her.

"That's okay, I can tell you where things are if you need? Thank you." She shifted enough to drink the water Bass had brought for her.

Bass smiled and looked down the stairs. "That's okay I think I found everything I need. I think the water is boiling I'll be back again." And with that he hurried back down the stairs.

Once again Charlie was left along with her thoughts as Bass shuffled around in her grandfathers kitchen. She barely had time to think before Bass was back and sitting on the edge of her bed. "Now I have a couple Ideas as I said, unfortunately I need to roll you on to your stomach, I'll try to do it as painlessly as possible." He set the full water bottle on the nightstand. "Ready?"

"Let's roll." Charlie took a deep breath and Bass rolled her over. She adjusted to the most comfortable position she could after Bass removed her coat. "Well, that was an adventure." She grimaced.

"I swear it'll only get better, if you feel any extra pain you have to let me know okay?" He grabbed the water bottled off the table and rested it on the upper part of her back. "I'm going to let that sit for a couple minutes let the muscles relax a little."

"Feels a little better already." She sighed and closed her eyes, her head resting on her arms. "You should tell me a story about yourself while we wait." She smiled her eyes still closed.

"Hmmm…. what story should I tell?" He was curious what she wanted to know.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno, what about the M tattoo you burned off, how did you come up with it? What inspired you to create it?"

He leaned back a little and he contemplated it. "It's a stupid story, we were kids."

"I want to hear it, Miles never talks about his childhood." She hummed a little as He moved the water bottle down her back.

"Well, we were probably eight I think." He got comfortable again. "For an eight year old I thought I was so clever. Miles and I had been best friends for a few years and I considered him my brother, as you know I have always thought that, and with our last names both starting with M I thought what better way to prove we were really brothers we came up with a tattoo that could work for both of us and we could get them as adults." He moved the bottle again. "I got the tattoo just before we were shipped off for our first tour. Miles never got it though, he was always scared that one day we wouldn't be brothers or even friends anymore and he'd be stuck with a tattoo of someone he hated. Guess he wasn't wrong about that." He trailed off, a hand touching her back gently not even noticing he was resting it there.

"It sounds sweet, Miles is a chicken shit though." Charlie laughed gently.

"He's not really that much of a chicken, hes just realistic."

Charlie peered at him over her shoulder. "So why did you decide to burn it off?"

Bass looked down at his burn. "After everything went to hell after the tower I couldn't go back for the obvious reasons, and I was way to much of a target with it, thought maybe I could disappear start again…" He looked back up at Charlie. "I have mixed feelings about it now." He moved the water bottle down one last spot.

"Well someone will always have it." Charlie turned her wrist over and he stared at the brand. "Charlie I'm so sorry, I never meant for things to get so out of hand, and I definitely didn't want to see you ever with that brand." He reached out and traced it with his fingers. "This never should have happened."

"It's okay, it was a hard part of my life and I'll never forget it because of it, it made me stronger, Miles might still be pissed that you're psychopathic instructors were torturing and branding kids though." She smirked at him as he glared at the brand on her wrist. "I think the water bottle is getting cold, and my muscles are feeling very relaxed, what's next?"

Bass snapped out of his stupor and looked up at her a small smile on his face. "Well next step if you'll let me is a massage, work out the tightness and hopefully it'll help heal you up faster."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Who's going to give me the massage?"

"Well, I hope you won't be to weirded out by me doing it." He almost looked nervous.

She put her head back into her arms and closed her eyes. "Thank god, cause I would one hundred percent not be okay with anyone in my family doing it."

Bass laughed and got in position. "Good to know."

Charlie felt his hands moving across her back and realized how he was sitting wasn't a great position to give a good massage. "You know, I wont freak out if you want to sit in a more comfortable position, it can't be easy to get the harder stuff all twisted like that."

His hands stopped and he looked at her for a solid ten seconds eyes wide before he wordlessly did as he was told. Straddling her legs he gingerly sat down to get started again. "Remember if there is any extra pain you have to tell me." He set to work working out her strained muscles and trying to make her as relaxed as possible.

Half an hour of massaging later Charlie was so relaxed and her pain was virtually gone that she had started to doze off to the feel of Bass' hands running over her tired back, she was startled back to reality when Bass got us and collected the water bottle and cloth before standing straight. "How you feeling?"

Charlie rolled on to her back before sitting up. "I feel great!"

"Good, I'm going to go refill this." He held up the water bottle. "You should keep heat on the sore spot until everything is back in fighting order, I'll be back stay and rest." He gave her a soft smile and went downstairs.

He was refilling the boy to boil when he was startled by Charlie standing behind him. "Jesus Charlie, you scared the shit out of me."

Charlie smirked a small laugh escaping her lips, "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." She leaned against the dining table and cocked her head to the side. "I actually had a question for you."

He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms, his eyebrow went up in question. "Oh? What would you like to know."

She trailed a finger across the the back of the chair next to her before looking back at Bass. "I was wondering why you've never made a move."

Bass' eyebrow shot farther up into his curly hairline. "I wasn't aware you wanted me to make a move."

Charlie pushed herself off the table and took a small step closer to him. "I always thought we were pretty good together, we work well we spend almost all of our time together, I just naturally assumed at some point you'd buck up and make the move I know you've been wanting to take."

He took a step towards her hands dropping to his sides and a smirk firmly in place. "And what exactly makes you think I want to make a move?"

Charlie's hands trailed up his chest to his neck. "I know, because I've seen the way you look at me, and no one purposefully tries to find as many reasons as possible to spend as much time as we do together. Bass you know as well as I do that we may not be a perfect match but we sure as hell fit."

Bass' hands found a resting spot on her hips. "Why haven't you made a move then?"

"Maggie always told me to be old fashioned and let the man take the lead when it comes to romance." She said smiling up at him. Bass barked with laughter. "There is nothing old fashioned about you, and trust me I like a woman who takes control, I've never pegged you for the romantic type." He lowered his face until it was mere millimeters from her face. "Your move Matheson."

Charlie lunged at him with the fore of a pent up teenage boy. "Bass." She said between heated kisses. "Whats the doctors verdict on strenuous activity?" She huffed out of breath waiting for an answer.

"I think we can make this work." And with that her legs were wrapped around his waist and he was once again up the stairs. Tossing her on the bed Bass straddled her legs and looked down at her a giant smile on his face. "Next time, don't wait for me, tell me what you want."

"Kiss me."


End file.
